Option–operand separation is a principle of
imperative computer programming
Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called computer program, programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of proc ...
. It was devised by
Bertrand Meyer as part of his pioneering work on the
Eiffel programming language.
It states that an operation's arguments should contain only ''operands'' — understood as information necessary to its operation — and not ''options'' — understood as auxiliary information. Options are supposed to
be set in separate operations.
The motivations for this are:
# Ease of learning: Beginners do not have to concern themselves with setting options.
# Wide spectrum coverage: Experts can still set options using the auxiliary operations.
# Evolution. Options are more likely to change than operands, so the parameter list to the operation remains more stable.
References
Object-oriented programming
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